Gloucester 29 Sale 3 - Full match report

Nigel Davies: Gloucester's Freddie Burns ready for an England call-up

Head coach Nigel Davies believes the England selectors have got to look at giving Gloucester fly-half Freddie Burns a cap soon after another magical Aviva Premiership display in the defeat of hapless Sale Sharks.

Burns outshone former England fly-half Danny Cipriani opposite him at Kingsholm, booting five first-half penalties and controlling Gloucester’s game pattern as the hosts put pressure on top dogs Harlequins and Saracens.

The Sharks’ only points of a match in which they hardly featured came via a single Cipriani penalty as handling errors from both sides caused a poor game to stagnate until home flanker Akapusi Qera got a touchdown on 53 minutes followed by a late penalty try for the Cherry and Whites.

Burns, the Premiership’s top points scorer this season, has been knocking on the England door for a while but is behind the likes of Toby Flood and rising star George Fordy.

But Davies said: “I think he has played superbly well. I think he has got everything that an international outside-half needs. What we have seen here with him is a maturity which probably wasn’t there in the past – but his game management today was excellent.

“He kept the ball in front of his pack for the best part of the game and put a lot of pressure on Sale as a result.

“Then to step up and get the points – and they weren’t easy kicks – he never looked like missing.

“He is always a threat, even today with such a boggy field, he was always there.

“So, for me, he is an exceptional player, and on top of his game at the moment.”

Burns said he had an ‘armchair ride’ thanks to his pack, and Davies was impressed by the whole side on a saturated Kingsholm pitch.

“Conditions dictated that we needed to play in a certain way and we did that. I’m very pleased with the way it went,” said Davies.

The game was held up for five minutes when Gloucester’s Australian hooker Huia Edmonds was knocked out in a tackle and left with his neck in a brace on a stretcher. Thankfully, he has recovered quickly and Davies said: “He is fine and up and about.”